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Zanzibar: Acid attack on two UK women

Source:

BBC News

Kirstie Trup and Katie Gee, both 18 and from London, had acid thrown on their faces, chests and hands. The island's Police Commissioner Musa Ali Musa told the BBC that there was "no prime suspect" for the attack. He said that a lot of people had been questioned and information gathered.

The police commissioner added that the reward, which is being offered by Zanzibar's government, was considered a large amount of money on the island. He said it was the first time visitors to the island had been attacked in this way, describing the incident as "alien" to both the police investigating and the victims. Officers had no idea as to the motive, he said. However no-one has been arrested or charged and investigations are continuing, Mr Musa said.

Zanzibar police say a reward of 10m Tanzanian shillings (£3,971, $6,170) has been offered for information leading to the capture of attackers who threw acid at two UK women.

The two young Britons are believed to have left Tanzania on a flight to the UK on Thursday night. They were initially taken to Tanzania's largest city Dar es Salaam for medical treatment following the attack, which took place in Stone Town, the old part of Zanzibar's capital, on Wednesday. The women's families have said they are "extremely upset" by the "completely unprovoked attack" on their daughters. The victims were two weeks into a three-week trip, volunteering for the charity Art in Tanzania. Before they left Tanzania, the country's President Jakaya Kikwete visited the women at the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam and promised that those responsible for the "shameful" attack would be found. The BBC's Tulanana Bohela, in Dar es Salaam, said Islam is the main religion on Zanzibar, and in more remote parts of the island, away from tourist beaches, there are signs asking foreigners to respect the local culture and cover up. However, most islanders depend on tourism for their livelihoods and are happy to see tourists, so there is little antagonism towards them, she said.

'Unprovoked attack'

The girls' families supplied this picture of acid burns on one of the two victims

The police commissioner added that the reward, which is being offered by Zanzibar's government, was considered a large amount of money on the island.